Loose Change: 5/7/09

By

Mary Pilon

May 7, 2009 10:38 am ET

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Back to buying?

Personal Finance:
-The live-within-your-means crowd has long extolled the virtues of buying groceries in bulk. But in some cases, it might not make financial sense. [LivingAlmostLarge]
-Here’s a good guide to practicing what we preach around here when it comes to credit-card negotiation. [YourFinishRichPlan]
-The tab at the hospital for having a baby? Try $36,625. And who knows how much college is going to cost? [WSJ]
-Speaking of credit cards, if you must close one, here’s how to go about doing it the right way. [WealthJunkies]

Investing:
-Should asset managers pay any attention to credit ratings? [FelixSalmon]
-Long-term U.S. Treasurys have lately performed like garbage. But some bond-fund managers say that the bonds’ worst days are largely in the past. [WSJ]
-Bloggers are taking on asset allocation and the age-old debate of active vs. passive investing: “The fact that you have a quantitative model doesn’t mean that it has any predictive power.” [MoneyAndSuch]

Other Lint:
-There’s lots of stress over stress tests. But the government’s gauge might not be the best or only thermometer for taking a financial institution’s temperature. [Slate]
-American consumers are carefully reaching for their shopping carts again. Economists, similarly, are wary about calling a bottom to the slump in consumer spending. [Economist]
-Lately, a lot of people have asked for a list of good economics blogs. Gongol released their latest traffic rankings for business and finance sites, and it’s a darn good place to start if you’re looking for nonmainstream econ reads. [Gongol]